Sorry for such a delay in updating the site. Just prior to Christmas the babies had their monthly doctors appointment. We were surprised to find out that CJ hadn't gained any weight for the entire month. Chuck and I attribute this to his reflux that the doctors say he does not have. We are going to another GI in January to see what they think. Savannah has moved up on the weight scale and is now 13 lbs, where CJ is still 13 lbs 8 ounces. They are starting on level 2 foods this week, which includes things like Chicken and beef. The doctor still seems concerned about Savannah's spine even though the specialist said he didn't see anything. This has us a little concerned just because the treatment would need to be very aggressive, rods in the back and or body cast. We would really hate to put her through any of that. We still continue to pray for both of them.

We are also proud to report that CJ rolled over for the first time on December 23rd. Since then he has been rolling everywhere. However, it can't seem to figure out how to roll himself back so he gets frustrated very quickly. We are hoping Savannah will be rolling over soon as well, although she doesn't seem too interested in it.

They both go for a Special Care follow up on New Year's Eve at Morristown Memorial where they will meet with a team of specialist to check on their milestones or any alarming issues. We are hoping/praying to come home with a good score card.

Happy New Year to all.

Our Miracles..Charlton and Savannah




Click Link to See Our Video on Savannah and Charlton

Savannah and Charlton recently had their monthly doctors visit.

Savannah weighed in at 11 lbs and is 24 1/2 inches long. Charlton now weighs 13 lbs 8 ounces and is 24 3/4 inches long.

Charlton had his appointment with the Gastrointestinal Doctor on Thursday. The doctor said that he has Growth Acceleration Syndrome, in other words (GAS). We are still a little surprise because sooo much of his bottle comes up with every feeding. We are going to start feeding him more cereal and vegetables/fruits by spoon. The doctor also mentioned that he can go on whole milk. I think we are going to hold off a while on that.

Savannah and CJ also met with their Pulmonologist on Thursday. Both currently have a cold and have caused them to both have a little wheeze in their lungs. They currently are getting breathing treatments every 4 hours or so. They actually seemed a little bit better today. The doctor also mentioned the X-rays from the last visit did show scar tissue for both babies, however, it wasn't as bad as he had expected. However, he has decided to put them on a preventative steroid which they will most likely be taking for a long time. We are all to familiar with the steroids because Ashley has to take them everyday as well. I guess it's good to have some knowledge in that department. We are also very familiar with how to use a Stethoscope, which has come in handy to hear the wheeze in the babies lungs.

Savannah will also be seeing a Neurosurgeon to see what is going on with the shape of her head. Actually it really doesn't look to bad, but is a little flat on one side. Basically he will tell us whether or not she should have a helmet.

We are still amazed everyday on how well both babies are doing. They are coming up on their 8 month mark, 4 months corrected. Both babies are still so close to rolling over, it should be any day now. Savannah has also changed so much in the last month. She is much strong and can hold her head up when on her belly. She is also much more alert and just starting to babble a little bit. She also will smile at you when you give her a big smile. These are all things that CJ has been doing, but just taking Savannah a little longer. At the end of the month they meet with a team of doctors to give us a progress report on their development. Basically we will find out if they are hitting their milestones and if not, what could be happening

Sorry it has been some time since our last update. We have been back and forth to the doctor with CJ and his reflux. We have been changing his formula a lot lately, but can't seem to find the right balance. We thought for sure the soy formula was going to be it, but sure enough after a few days he started with his reflux again. Actually, according to his Upper GI, he does not have reflux. We schedule an appt. for him at Lehigh Valley Hospital, however, they are not able to see him until Mid-January. Chuck and I were at such a lose, because we are not sure what to feed him because he always seems in such pain. Luckily we were able to get him in an appt. at Morristown Memorial Hospital tomorrow. We are just hoping they can help us figure out what is going on with him. Other than this issue, both babies are doing extremely well. They also have to follow up with their Pulmonologist on Friday. This will just be a routine appt. We are definitely feeling overwhelmed with all of the doctor appt's, but we do realize they are a necessity no matter how healthy the babies look. People are amazed how well they look when they see them in person.

Sorry it has been some time since our last update. We have been back and forth to the doctor with CJ and his reflux. We have been changing his formula a lot lately, but can't seem to find the right balance. We thought for sure the soy formula was going to be it, but sure enough after a few days he started with his reflux again. Actually, according to his Upper GI, he does not have reflux. We schedule an appt. for him at Lehigh Valley Hospital, however, they are not able to see him until Mid-January. Chuck and I were at such a lose, because we are not sure what to feed him because he always seems in such pain. Luckily we were able to get him in an appt. at Morristown Memorial Hospital tomorrow. We are just hoping they can help us figure out what is going on with him. Other than this issue, both babies are doing extremely well. They also have to follow up with their Pulmonologist on Friday. This will just be a routine appt. We are definitely feeling overwhelmed with all of the doctor appt's, but we do realize they are a necessity no matter how healthy the babies look. People are amazed how well they look when they see them in person.

CJ and Savannah are doing very well. Savannah is getting much stronger and is now able to hold her head up off the floor. They both go to the doctors on Wednesday for their monthly check-up/shots. We are looking for to Great Aunt Sue coming to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. We definitely have a lot to be thankful for this year.

Yesterday we took the babies in for Upper GI's and a Swallow Test. Both did very well. We were shocked to learn Savannah has reflux. She spits up, but not too much. CJ on the other hand has very bad reflux and the test didn't show anything for him. We will see a GI doctor to discuss at a later date.

Savannah also had her appt. with the Orthopedic Doctor. Again, she amazes us. After 3 people noticing the scoliosis and the x-ray showing it with a measured curve, the Orthopedic could not see any problems. He said if she did have a 17% curve he would have sent us to another specialist to decide whether she should be having surgery to insert bars or to have a full body cast. Thank god....we do not have to make that decision. She will have x-rays again in 4 mths to monitor.

Savannah and CJ are both very close to rolling over. Just this week Savannah has made so much progress with her strength and has been holding her head up and came so close to rolling over tonight. They both did very well with the Sweet Potatoes and are now eating Carrots. Next week we will try the Squash.

Well we finally heard back from the doctor today in regard to Savannah's xrays. Unfortunately it was not good news. She definitely has scoliosis. She has a 17% curvature in her spine and to be classified as scoliosis they need a 10% curvature. This is what they would normally find in a 16 year old. We are scheduled to see the Orthopedic on Tuesday. As you can imagine there are many concerns with this new development, because the curvature could affect her breathing and many other things if not corrected.

We are taking CJ to the doctor tomorrow for his reflux. He has been absolutely miserable lately. If he is not sleeping he is screaming in pain, it is very difficult to see him in so much pain.

Today was a busy day with the babies. The Physical Therapist came this morning and noticed that Savannah side was not quite right it was bulging out on the side. She suggesting Chuck take her to see the doctor. Better be safe than sorry. Chuck took her advice and the doctor also thought it was kind of odd so then Chuck had to take them to the hospital so she could get x - rays of her spine. The doctor mentioned that it could be scoliosis, but it could also be nothing. We won't get back the results for a few days.

We also started CJ on Zantac tonight for his reflux. We are really hoping this will make him feel better because he has been very agitated lately.

On a good note, CJ rolled over a few times during Physical Therapy and is holding his head up very well. We are very proud of both of them and their progress to date.

The babies are doing very well. They both started eating vegetables yesterday. They will eat Sweet Potatoes for 5 days and we will then move onto Carrots and other orange/yellow vegetables. After that comes the green vegetables and then onto fruit. They really seemed to enjoy the Sweet Potatoes and took to them without any problems.

It appears that CJ definitely has reflux so we are hoping to putting him on Zantac to make him a little more comfortable.

Yesterday we fed both CJ and Savannah by spoon. We thought for sure it was going to be a total failure, but we were shocked when they both took to it immediately. CJ couldn't get the spoon in his mouth quick enough. Savannah also seemed to have no problems with it either.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

We took the babies out for about a 1/2 hour so they could see some of the neighbors.

Everyone had fun tonight.

Today CJ and Savannah had their monthly pediatrician visit. The both received their RSV shot and Rotovirus Serum.

CJ weighed in at 12 lbs. 2 ounces and 24 1/2 inches long.

Savannah weighed in at 10 lbs. 6 ounces and 22 1/2 inches long.

The doctor and nurses commented on how great they look. We will also be introducing them to solid foods now. (This should be interesting)

Savannah is also starting to smile and wiggle around more. We are still waiting for her to find her voice. She only really cries if she is in pain or hungry, but no cooing or baby sounds yet.

Finally we are all well again. The babies are doing well and progressing every day. Chuck and I have had a few lucky nights were they both slept about 6/7 hours in a row. CJ and Savannah have their monthly pediatrician check up on Thursday and will also get their shots at the same time

The babies have both seemed to recover from their cold, but Ashley and I still have a lingering cough. I can't wait until we are all 100% again.

Savannah had her Eye Doctor appt. today to check on her mild ROP. The good news is that the ROP has gone away. However, the doctor said that she is near sighted and will need glasses at some point. She also said that she has some other condition that is common with preemies, but we can't recall the name. She has to go back in 3 mths. for another follow up on this new condition.

CJ is really coming along nicely. He is cooing and loves to laugh.

Savannah hasn't hit that milestone yet, but we are confident she will in her own time.

Today was extremely busy for us because the babies had a number of doctor appointments. Our first stop was back at the NICU in Morristown to do a download of Savannah's Apnea monitor. It was nice to see their doctors and a few of the nurses who took such great care of them. As of today, Savannah no longer needs to be on the Apnea monitor..YEAH, finally free of wires. I must admit this will be an adjustment for me because I never really worried about Savannah because I knew the machine would let me know if there was a problem. It will be nice for her not to have those annoying leads stuck to her.

Then we were off to see their Pulmonologist. We really like this doctor and have asked him to take over the care of Ashley as well. For those of you who don't know, Ashley has severe Asthma and has been hospitalized seven times as a result. The doctor was impressed with how well the babies seemed to be handling the cold that they have. However, as mentioned before he would like us to do breathing treatments while they are sick, even though they have no sign of wheezing. We also met with a dietician who is working with us to get Charlton situated with a formula that works. We have also started to add rice to his bottle. We are hoping this will help him sleep better, especially through the night. We go back in 6 weeks for a follow up.

Savannah's eye appointment was canceled due to her doctor being sick, but she will have her eyes checked next week.

Our last stop was the hand surgeon who has been following Savannah in the NICU for her thumb that turned black. As I mentioned one time earlier the color in her finger came completely back. The surgeon was very impressed with the mobility and looks of her finger and said "she definitely dodged a bullet", I said "thank god". So overall we had a great day and the babies are doing wonderful.

The babies seem to be feeling a little bit better today.

They are still eating about every 3 hours. In CJ's case it seems like he is constantly hungry. I have a feeling we will be adding rice to his bottle soon because nothing seems to satisfy him. Savannah has seemed to take a step backwards on her feeding, but I think it has to do with her not feeling well. Savannah has really come a long way with her head control and is still getting stronger every day. She can now sit in the bumbo sit with out her head falling forward. She has also started to smile a little bit. We are so proud of the progress that they have made thus far.

Ashley seems to be adjusting better and really loves her brother and sister.

I guess when you have two sick kids in the house it's difficult to keep the 3rd one from getting sick. Savannah started getting sick Friday. I think this is the first time that we really felt sleep deprived since the twins have been home. They have been quite unhappy and letting us all know. Hopefully this bug will be short lived. We have been giving both babies breathing treatment's per their Pulmonologist as a precaution. The good news is Ashley seems to be better, just a lingering cough.

Our poor little CJ has a cold today and is quite miserable. Ashley has also been sick this week, so we are pretty sure we know where it came from. We have him hooked up to Savannah's Pulse Ox to monitor his Oxygen level. I was sure he needed to be hospitalized, but thankfully the doctor said that he is ok for now, but we will have to keep an eye on him. So far Savannah seems ok.

The kids had a very nice visit this week with their Grandma. Savannah's infection has pretty much cleared up, although she will be on antibiotics for another week or so. Just this week Savannah has really shown alot of improvement with her strength. She is now able to sit in a Bumbo seat and her neck strength is much better. CJ seems to be doing ok with his new formula, which is much cheaper than the Nutramigen. Next week Savannah ad CJ have lots of follow up doctor appointments. Savannah has to see the neonatologist to review her Apnea. Then they both have to see their Pulmonologist and then Savannah has an eye appointment and then she will visit the hand surgeon. It will be an action packed day.

CJ and Savannah both got their RSV shot today. In addition, the doctor changed CJ's formula again. Hopefully this one will be better because it is a lot cheaper. Savannah also got a new script for her infection. The infection looks to be healing very well, but the doctor wants to be sure she is getting the correct antibiotic based on the infection she has. He just received back her swab test which is why he switched the antibiotic.

Today we celebrated Ashley's 5th Birthday. Since we were not able to have a lot of people over, I took Ashley to Chuck E. Cheese to play and then back home for cake. She had a great time, even CJ and Savannah got in on the action with the birthday hats.

Savannah's infection is healing nicely. Both CJ and Savannah go to the doctor's tomorrow for their first round of RSV shots. They will both get this shot every month up until April. Hopefully this will prevent them from getting RSV this winter.

Well the babies both recovered from having the rotavirus. However, we ended up having to bring Savannah to the ER for something completely unrelated. While getting Savannah ready for her bath last night I noticed about a 1 inch laceration underneath her armpit. The plastic lead from her Apnea monitor was pretty much embedded in her skin, which cause a major infection. Luckily she didn't have to spend much time in the hospital and was released later that night with oral antibiotics as well as antibiotic cream. I never thought we would be in the hospital for something like this. Savannah never showed any signs of discomfort, but I have to admit it looks really bad. Hopefully this will heal quickly without any further problems. Since she is basically wrapped in guaze we now have a problem with putting new leads on her to monitor her breathing. Right now we are improvising with a pulse ox machine that alarms when her oxygen level drops.

Charlton is back on the new formula. However, I am not impressed so far. He is still seems to be very uncomfortable after every feeding. Not to mention hungry about two hours later.

The other day at the doctors but babies received a serum to help prevent rotovirus. This is the second time they are getting the serum, however, this time they have had some very unpleasant side effects. We didn't know at the time, but just recently found out that this is a live virus. Both babies have been showing signs of the rotovirus. Poor Chuck has been changing diaper after diaper and the babies have been extremely cranky. Their little butts are so red and have been bleeding. We are hoping this will clear up tomorrow or they may start to get dehydrated.

Savannah and Charlton had their monthly follow up doctors appt. yesterday. Charlton now weighs
10 lbs. and is 20 3/4 long and Savannah is not far behind at 9 lbs. 4 ounces and 20 1/4 inches long. They have finally made it on the growth chart, registering at about 5%. We thought they were due for shots, but they are not due until next month.

They also switched their formula to Enfamil Nutramigen to help with their GI track. Savannah was doing well on the Similac Neosure, but Charlton was always in pain and not very regular. (If you know of anyone that has Enfamil coupons that they are not using, please have them send them our way.)

Savannah's head is definitely looking better and the doctor is not concerned at all and thinks it will reshape itself in the near future.

Both babies are doing very well overall and the doctor seems happy with their progress thus far.

CJ is getting very strong and can almost hold his head up on his own. Savannah is getting strong every day, but is not at the same point as CJ yet.